Description

As is common among his kin, Viktor is a portrait of well chiseled and angular features that border the line between pretty and handsome. His slanted eyes and slightly pointed ears hint at his mixed heritage, though it is the crimson hue of his eyes that is the most striking feature about him. At first glance Viktor has one of those faces that tends to illicit trust and ease, but he frequently emits a faint aura of enigma as well.

Viktors strengths lie in the power of domination and mental fortitude. Though he is gifted with all the traditional benefits of the Lessard line including enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, senses and the ability to shapeshift - his talents in such matters are average at best. His mental prowess would seem to be a strongly evolved form of Sanina's domination abilities, and within this field his powers have surpassed that of even his sire.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

“Well if you weren't just standing there,” bit off Kyle as he grunted with exertion, straining against a chain.

Situated around a crouched woman were Christian and Varia as well, the latter seeming almost as feral as the shuddering form of Maria, and the former was picking himself up off the ground to seize up the chain that had been torn from his grasp.

At the border of the cursed woods the sun could be seen setting in the distance, casting its last few rays of light across the lands.

A low rippling snarl tore free from the throat of Maria as Viktor stepped back from the group, waving for the others to join him.

“Let's go,” he called loudly.

Letting out a woop and a howl of excitement Varia released the chain in her hands, followed quickly by a grinning Christian and a coy grin from Kyle. However, with Maria now freed, the group fell back quickly.

Leaving the woman to her torment, the group of young vampires vacated the premises.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

Strolling down the street was a third man, his head down in thought. The sounds of the commotion had reached him, but he disregarded them. Such violence and crime occurred nightly in a city of this nature, and it was no concern of his.

No, he had other matters to attend to. Word had reached him that their ploy with Maria was proving far more successful than they had anticipated. Too successful. The spike in werewolf activity was a concern for the Lessard family as much as it was for the Vankoryth Detente. It would have to be monitored very carefully.

Distantly he heard the sound of tendons tearing and bones popping as a mans arm was dislocated. The following shout of pain preceded a thunk as the would be mugger's head hit concrete wall. It would seem that the nights prey had bite.

His stride didn't change though and he simply passed by on his way down the street.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

The echo of the gunshot brought Viktor's footsteps to a halt. The scent of the woman's blood was thick in the air, as was the labored sound of her breathing. He took another step as if to continue on his way before halting again. Turning his head he gazed upon the fallen woman briefly.

A strange evening this was, when the hunters become the hunted, and the victors fled into the night like prey. The woman was a fighter, and yet it was her blood that stained the streets. At last he turned and approached the woman

Standing over Kaelin he looking down at her with impassive eyes. Each struggle to draw oxygen, each pump of heart to keep her blood circulating he keenly noted. He should leave her there. Taking home strays was always a risky prospect and their loyalty a matter of question.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

The impassive look in the woman's eyes, even as she bled out in the street was an odd thing. Unafraid. It was that look that made his decision for him. However, distantly the sounds of sirens could be heard. Someone must have called in the gunshot.

“Slow your breathing. Everything is fine,” he said carefully as he stared into her eyes. His voice was low, soothing even, and despite the seemingly ludicrous nature of his words a gentle calm would settle over Kaelin, lulling her into a sort of dazed haze.

Kneeling down he moved to lift her up. She didn't have long and the hypnotic state would buy her minutes at most, but it would be time enough to get her off the street before the authorities arrived.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

“My name is Viktor,” he replied to her first inquiry. He didn't continue though, letting the woman orient herself. Questions would come, and it was best to let her progress at her own pace for now. Fledglings were largely unpredictable and it was hard to say how any one individual would take to such a traumatic experience.

“Survive? Your survival is a matter of perspective I am afraid,” he offered, trying to pick his words carefully.

He offered no apology for his actions though. He had elevated her above the rabble that walked the street. Unchained her from the bindings of mortality and given her a new life.

“It will take some getting used to,” he explained. Though it was stating the obvious, he found it good to talk under such circumstances. His voice was the sort of voice that just oozed 'trust me'. Gentle, and patient. “How are you feeling?” he asked. Even if she hadn't yet realized it, many physical changes to her form and senses would be immediately apparent.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

“You will likely find that those senses are enhanced as well,” Viktor explained. Though her following words brought a shake to his head.

“I did not save your life, I gave you life. What you had before... it was not living. As for where you go now, that is largely up to you. I would like to take you someplace safe. You will need assistance and guidance with learning to utilize your talents to their fullest potential. I can give you that, and the security of my home,” he offered.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

Kaelin's rapid acceptance of her situation was startling. He had known few to adjust so readily. At least not those turned under such strenuous circumstances. Perhaps he had chosen well. Some were simply suited for this life.

“Very well, then let us be on our way. The sun will be up soon,” Viktor replied.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

Viktor strode into Gambit's, his head lowered in thought and his hands shoved into his pockets. His posture seemed hardened, despite his downcast eyes and beneath the fringe of hair lay a steely gaze. His features softened his face though, giving him an aura of intensity rather than coldness.

He was not expecting company this day, but he didn't need to look up to realize that he would have it regardless of his intentions. He paused next to Sanina's table as if in greeting, but he knew this was more than a casual encounter.

“Sanina,” he said.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

“I apologize, but you know how fledglings are. You can't leave them alone for long,” Viktor explained. Much of his time had been absorbed in Kaelin's education. Though it was more than that also, and despite Sanina's vacant expression he could feel that she knew it also.

No words were exchanged on the matter for the time being.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

“She learns quickly and her mental prowess is formidable,” Viktor offered. He was hesitant to speak in too great of detail and risk exposing his attachment to the fledgling. Compassion had always been his failing in Sanina's eyes.

“She's difficult to read and I can't ascertain her loyalties yet - that is why I haven't brought her to the manor.”

At Nevan's words, his brow raised in an almost mirror gesture to Kyle's own.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

Viktor nodded. “I'll bring her by the manor tomorrow evening. If that will be all, I must be off.” He spared Allucard a glance, but nothing more as he rose and offered Sanina a humble bow. “Excuse me,” he offered to them both before turning to leave the premise.

Concern was etched his mind. Sanina could be unpredictably unforgiving and he did not yet know how Kaelin would respond to the rest of the family.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

The Lessard Manor was an impressive structure of Victorian design characterized by expensive glass windows, tall steeples, stone gargoyles and extravagant gardens intersected by winding stone pathways. The entrance to the manor grounds was barred by an impressive wrought iron fence patrolled by two human guards. Small lanterns lined the pathways leading up to the manor house casting a warm glow through the dark. The gardens to either side were a stunning spectacle of well landscaped flora that had been well chosen to accentuate evening viewing and even the flowers bloomed beneath the silvery moonlight overhead.

However should one take a closer look, it would reveal that the gardens were merely an outward facade of beauty, overlaying a backdrop of decay where little could survive for long. Beneath the surface of the foliage and dazzling array of flowers, spots of mold and wilt could be seen cropping up here and there. The signs were subtle, but given a few months the picture of beauty would be rotted away beneath the taint that was beginning to infect it. It was a full time task to keep anything living within the manor grounds and everything that was planted eventually withered and died. It was only through meticulous care that the the facade was maintained.

Maria had led Riaze back to the city, it's nighttime lights glittering like starlight for as far as the eye could see. It was a place she was loath to tread, but her vehemence drove her on. Cautious and wary, she led them through shadow and back alleys to avoid the main routes until eventually they left the din and commotion of the city behind in favor of the pleasant gardens that lay at its heart. A few evening strollers passed by their position beneath the boughs of a tree, but none sparred them a second glance. Clad in the remnants of wolf furs and leathers she had acquired from her abandoned campsite on the way, Maria was at least passably modest enough to not draw too much unwanted attention.

Raising a hand Maria extended her finger to point to the manor beyond.

"Draugr," she explained. The pounding of her heart filled her ears as her chest heaved heavily from the run that had brought them here. The physical exertion had done little to stem the unquenchable fire that lay within her eyes and she shook with the anticipation of the damage she and Riaze could unleash upon the unsuspecting family within. Believing themselves safe within their city and behind their walls, their arrogance would be their undoing.

Turning to look at Riaze the fire burned hot in her gaze. "Draugr," she reiterated. He would come, he would share in the carnage with her. She did not need ask to know it would be so.

by Cryovizard on Mon May 28, 2012 2:00 pmRiaze looked on the manor that Maria had led him to, studying the structure. He had deduced what she meant by draugr, the place reeked of vampires to his nose. Slowly, a smile crept upon his face, a thing to inspire terror. Fangs gleamed dully in the night lights, and his lone eye seemed to burn brighter. The fingers of his left hand danced, and shadows drew upwards around the pair of them, etheric shrouds to cloak their coming. He gestured to Maria, as if saying, "After you."

The slaying of vampires in any form was retribution to him, penance to their kind for a wrong that would never be righted. He would see them all ash and bones, and only then would he hope for the release of the torments that plagued him. He would follow in this woman's wake, the consuming fires of hatred that trailed the blazing spear of anger.

And more fall for you, Marcia. May you rest easier for every one laid to rest.

by Tiko on Mon May 28, 2012 3:51 pmWith shadows to cloak their movements, scaling the fence that surrounded the manor grounds was a simple task. Once inside the perimeter, Maria stole through the gardens with all the poise of a seasoned hunter. Her reckless disregard at castle Vankoryth Detante had faded to a dull simmer. Her years were beginning to show beyond the raging beast that lay in wait.

The human guards at the entrance were bypassed without event, neither harmed for the time being. They were not why she was here, and some spark of humanity that still glimmered within her feral state left her taking little pleasure from the killing of mortals.

As she and Riaze neared the front entrance, the polished flagstones of the walkway led to a set of impressive oaken doors with intricate scrollwork etched into their surface. A pair of life sized marble lions sat sentinel at the base of the stairs. Pausing to rest her hands upon the oaken frames Maria inhaled the distant stench of decay that lingered on the night air.

The reek of it filled her nostrils and flooded her senses with disjointed and chaotic memories. She could feel the cold touch of dead hands upon her skin, desecrating her flesh as it rotted and decayed beneath their touch. The screams that tore from her had left her throat bloodied and raw until her voice had become little more than a ragged growl. Bound in manacles, the bones within her wrist were snapped like kindling each time the beast within her sought to free itself from the torment. Days had seemed like months, and months like years. Time had ceased to have meaning.

Curling her fingers against the bronze door handles, Maria quelled the shudder that ran through her. With a heave she pulled the doors open to stride forward. The stench of vampire was all around, permeating the air with its foul stench and the sound of voices drew her onward through the vestibule and towards the dining hall beyond. It was there that she would feed the flames of retributions.

“Sleep my child and peace attend thee, all through the night, Guardian angels God will send thee,” Sanina sang softly. The gentle melody held an eerie chill to it, despite the seemingly pleasant nature of the lullaby. Cradled within her arms was the small skeletal remains of an infant, held with all the care and dutifulness of a mother with her child. Her free hand rose to lightly finger the silver cross at her neck as she gently rocked the chair she and the dead infant were seated upon.

At the dining table itself another woman, Bri, was placing plates of food before two young children of the ages of five and seven. The two girls though human seemed unpurturbed by the nature of their environment, or their caregivers. The youngest even clutched a small doll that appeared to have been hand made from bits of animals.

“'Nina?” the youngest of the girls asked. “'Nina when will we see momma again?”

Sanina's melody died down to a soft humming as she doted over the morbid remains within her arms. “Now now my dear Jezebelle, don't fuss. You must rest, or you will not get healthy again,” she crooned lightly.

“My lady, that boy of yours has been terrorizing the girls again,” Bri began, but before Sanina could respond, the double doors leading to the dining hall burst open and a fiery haired woman clad in wolf furs and leather strode inside. The shadows receded from her form as she left Riaze's cover of darkness.

“Is that...” Bri began.

“Get the children out!” Sanina gasped. Rising from her chair she pass the dead infants remains to Bri. Not waiting to be told twice, Bri took up the hand of the youngest of the girls and began leading them out the back.

The little girl pulled free and tried to run back. “'Nina! 'Nina!” the frightened child yelled before Alice caught her and pulled her away and back to Bri. Ushering both girls out the door, Bri followed after them.

Sanina herself in a moment of uncharacteristic boldness moved to meet the werewolf and the shadow at her back. Her eyes locked on Maria's as she crooned a low eerie melody. The hypnotic weight of her eyes would have stopped a human in their tracks, but Maria simply swatted her aside with a backhanded blow. Colliding with an antique grandfather clock, Sanina fell to the floor, shards of glass cutting into the palms of her hands and her forearms. Shouts were beginning to ring out through the manor as a man appeared at the top of the stairwell leading upstairs.

“Guards! Get the guards into the dining hall! We have intruders!” Kyle yelled loudly into his ear piece. Drawing a handgun free from its holster, he checked the safety before descending down the stairs towards the fight.

by Cryovizard on Mon May 28, 2012 4:15 pmFollowing in the wake of his companion, Riaze paused for a barest moment, bonding with the guards shadows and turning them to him. Satisfied with the precaution, he was as Maria's shadow, ever present, silent, and a step behind her. Even as they stalked into the manor, a change was settling over the lycan, a lightness in his step, his ever present cruel smile. This was his life, his enjoyment. His high.

The expressions on the vampires' faces as Maria burst into the room was priceless, though he himself hung just without the room. His shadows flowed as a smog within, but he held a moment to listen to the house, to those within. After a moments consideration, he smiled. It seems the sheep were gathered ahead, their dogs few and far between. He nearly clapped as his companion struck one of them, hurtling her into a clock to lie among debris. But then the calls of help sounded, and he shook his head in disappointment. Uninvited guests were after all, so rude.

The first pair of them sought to brave his shadows to answer, and for that Riaze made them pay. Muffled screams as darkness enveloped them, pummeling them without remorse. He held back bare moments from killing them, flinging them from the shadows instead. Their battered and broken flesh would serve as warnings to the others who dared intrude. With the insects crushed, then did the lycan finally step forward from the black.

His eye was a ball of hellfire in his skull, his grin was that of a demon. Shadows wrapped around his hands, making of them nightmare claws. A cigarette hung askance between his teeth, forgotten in the moment. He spoke to strike fear.

"Ware for the end arrives, and it bares fangs."

He swung towards the man with the gun, claws held to his sides in fatal promise.

by Tiko on Mon May 28, 2012 4:47 pmKyle leveled his gun upon Riaze, but his view was quickly marred.

Sanina's bloody fingers closed around the candelabra resting upon the small stand she had fallen beside. Throwing it at the floor before Riaze's feet, the flames flickered at the carpet before erupting into a blazing inferno. Within the depths of the flames a pair of feline eyes peered out, before with a bone rattling roar the sleek form of a muscled panther leaped free of the fire to barrel forward into Riaze. With claws and maw twisted by the demonic taint within its undead form, there was no mistaking the animal as ordinary. The tendrils of smoke that curled and leaked from its maw and its smoldering eyes further betrayed its nature. For all of its ferocity though, it was what Riaze couldn't see that would be the biggest threat. The cat's current path of trajectory seemed set to carry the beast past him, but the displacement over the creature always left the animal appearing a few paces left of where it actually stood. On a collision course with Riaze, the animals jaws had the strength to crush bone if it got ahold of its target.

Picking herself back up, Sanina struck the wall again, this time as Maria slammed into her, a hand closing around her throat to hold her firm against the wall. Eyes locked on Sanina's, a low growl bubbled up from within Maria and she began to close her fingers around the vampire's throat. Though Sanina did not require oxygen to survive, the act of having ones throat torn out was still far from a pleasant experience, and it was an experience Maria intended to return to her in painfully slow detail.

Even Sanina's hands grasping at Maria's forearm causing the flesh to blacken and rot did nothing to abate Maria's grip. It was only in that moment that Maria understood why Riaze had let Torrential go. The fear, the pain, it was intoxicating. She would not let Sanina go, but she would make the vampire suffer every minute of her dwindling life.

A gunshot rang out and with an oomph of pain, Maria dropped Sanina to the floor, the vampire's blood dripping from her fingers as to turned about to face Kyle. The young vampire wasn't even a year into his unlife yet and the stench of his humanity still clung to him. It would not deter Maria though.

"Varia! Christian! where are you!" Kyle demanded as he backed up a step. His gun was held levelly in both hands but he needed to make each shot count.

by Cryovizard on Mon May 28, 2012 5:03 pmRiaze snarled as the candelbra seemingly exploded ahead of him, eye narrowing on the creature that grew from the flames. Lifting his claws, he roared in answer as he struck.

Black claws swept wide arcs before him, but as they sung through the air they dissolved. Whips of shadow crisscrossed the space before him, a net of dark tendrils that could strip flesh from bone. Launching himself in their wake, he veered into his true form, the immense wolf sprinting nearly to charge in their wake. Turning his head, he waited until the last possible moment before dropping his head and hurling his shoulder forward, not half a pace behind the whips.

Riaze hated cats.

by Tiko on Mon May 28, 2012 5:22 pmShadow was met with hellfire as the tendrils of smoke and stench of sulfur filled the air. Though some of the tendrils found their mark, where flesh was rend, hellfire rushed forth burning away the shadowy obstacle. Its position momentarily revealed by the destruction of the shadows, Riaze would have the span of a moment to realize his error and reposition himself for the collision that took the pair to the floor with the impact of flesh against flesh. Scamp was a formidable foe and where claw and tooth rend flesh, gouts of hellfire would follow in their wake.

Maria meanwhile side stepped the fire that burned at the carpet so she could get at Kyle who backed up another step. For a moment the pair stared one another down before Maria lunged for the vampire. Shots rang out, one, two, three. The first one struck its mark, blood blossoming from Maria's chest while the other two struck the wall as Maria's hand knocked Kyle's gun wide.

The beast within Maria was like a caged animal trying to claw its way to the surface. Each drop of humanity lost left Maria's strength and ferocity increased ten fold. Sweeping her right hand forward the sickening crunch of bone filled the air followed by the clatter of Kyle's gun upon the steps of the stairs.

“Kyle!” a woman's voice yelled from the top of the stairwell.

Turning her eyes upon Varia, Maria's lips cracked into a wolfish grin before with a jerk, she tore Kyle's heart from his chest and left the man to crumple and tumble down the steps to land in a lifeless heap at its base.

Varia wisely turned and fled deeper into the manor with Maria hot on her heels.

by Cryovizard on Mon May 28, 2012 5:47 pmUsing the collision with the hellcat, Riaze twisted his lupine body and kicked off the animal, landing with surprising grace and skidding back. Fires in his coat burned away as shadows swept over him, settling into place as a cloak. Etherial winds blew the darkness back and forth, as parts of the shadows hardened into a formidable armor. The lycan was pushing the boundaries of both his natures without crossing them together, for he wished direly not to reveal the shadow wolf yet.

Onyx claws clicked on the floor as he padded forwards, his maw of fangs nearly as large as daggers coming into view as his lips peeled back. Muscles bunched unseen beneath shadow, and with a thunderclap of a roar he launched himself forward in a charge, crossing the gap with blinding speed. But this time Riaze kept his head straight, jaws opening wide as he struck for the feline's throat. Smoky darkness lashed on his hide, like oil over him.

by Tiko on Tue May 29, 2012 9:33 amThe blood curdling shriek of the hellcat split the air as Riaze drove the pair to the floor, jaws rending into its throat. However rather than blood, Riaze would be met with gouts of hellfire flooding his mouth and throat, searing all it could come into contact with. More fire licked along the pairs forms until they had become a flaming, writhing mass of tooth, claw and fur.

Sanina meanwhile had one hand clamped to her bloody throat, her eyes wild and near crazed as human guards began to spill into the room. “Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!” she began to shriek. All semblance of dignity and restraint was lost to the woman.

Leveling guns upon Riaze and Scamp, the humans opened fire recklessly at the pair.

by Cryovizard on Tue May 29, 2012 9:51 amRiaze was willing to ignore the burning, the claws, even the first couple of bullets. They simply carved pain into him, magnifying his rage a hundredfold. But in the face of the bulletstorm and the inferno, the lycan felt a trill of fear. This was punishment he could simply shrug off, couldn't ignore. Much more of this and he'd be helpless on the floor, awaiting death at the hands of these foul monsters.

Riaze refused to die.

Without warning, the shadow cloak that he'd wrapped around him exploded violently, tendrils flinging the hellcat from him, bullets vanishing in the dark or ricocheting wildly. A mass of seething darkness stood where the wounded wolf lay, pulsing for moments before he howled. This was no warcry however, but a bone chilling dirge, the sound warbling and distorting as though it were a hundred lycans, and not just one.

As if in answer, the shadows imploded, rushing to the center where they poured into Riaze' very flesh. The line between creature and darkness blurred, often vanishing altogether. Slowly, with soft thuds as bullets rejected from flesh and black, he rose from the floor. Rising, his front paws coming off the ground and forming into wicked claws. Rear legs growing, sickening sounds of bone cracking. His entire body altered, a shifting state of lycan and mirage, reality and illusion. When he growled, he sounded like a demon.

And then he plunged into the humans, death incarnate. Talons ripped through flesh, blood painted walls, ceilings, floor. Screams cut off into mangled cries, gurgles, silence. Gunshots pass through dark body without effect, or ping wildly and unpredictably. All the while, Riaze not making a single sound.

And when he had butchered them all, barely a minute later, he swung to face Scamp, his eyes literally twin hellfires into the darkness of his face.

by Tiko on Tue May 29, 2012 10:20 amBy the time Scamp had regained his footing, the massacre was completed. Blood painted the room like some macabre painting and broken bodies littered the room. As Riaze turned about to face the hellcat next, Scamp's ears flattened against his head and he backed up a step with another earsplitting shriek. Flames flickered within the depths of his wounds, the rend in his throat and the bullet holes that adorned his body seemingly burning up from the inside out. Growing in heat and intensity, the inner fire seemed to just engulf the feline in its entirety until it was gone.

By this point the earlier fire upon the carpet was beginning to spread, licking its way up the leg of the dining room table. A fact not gone unnoticed by Sanina. There were doorways on either end of the room, but outrunning a werewolf was easier said than done.

Riaze's momentary distraction with Scamp before the hellcat's rather abrupt departure afforded her perhaps a moments advantage though. Choking down her outrage, Sanina picked herself up from the broken glass and began humming lowly. The eerie tune permeated the room over the crackle of the flames, and despite their chilling weight, the notes were soothing and held a hypnotic influence to them.

“My poor dear, what have they done to you?” she crooned lyrically. Spinning her web of deception would take time, but Sanina wasn't a warrior and fighting the werebeast wasn't a viable option. “But it's okay now... everything is okay. You kept me safe, as I knew you would...” Her words were soft and caressing. “You killed them all for me, my dear child.” The story was rushed, and the hypnotic web flimsy at best, but she needed only confuse the werewolf long enough to make for the doorway. “They came to kill me, but you wouldn't let anyone hurt me... isn't that right?” She even went so far as to offer a bloodied hand out, as if an invitation for him to take it. The thought of the disgusting beast touching her brought vile thoughts to mind, but survival was first and foremost on Sanina's mind.

by Cryovizard on Wed May 30, 2012 9:23 amHellfire eyes stared until the hellcat vanished. Shadowy flesh writhed like serpents, as Riaze slowly turned to face Sanina as she spoke. The siren's call of her words lulled him, trapping him in its coils. Unaware, he had begun to believe, to fall into the web with willingness, even eagerness. But a scrap of his mind remained untouched, one of instinct. But not for her, for the peril he'd placed himself into.

Too long, get out, too long, get out, too long, get OUT!

With a snarl mixed with scream the lycan wrenched the shadows from him, hurling the darkness away like a snake shed his skin. Between the battle and the vampire's crooning, Riaze had come dangerously close to the limit he could maintain that form. Standing sembled in human flesh again, he fell to his knees, freed unwittingly from the siren song. But for several moments it was all he could do to stay conscious.

Blood covered him, much of it his own. That long in the shadow wolf and he began to bleed for his pores. His clothes were a torn and tattered mess, barely hanging from his body. Chest heaving with deep, shuddering breaths, the lycan fought to calm himself, to throw off the allure of chaos the form foisted on him. It was times like this where he understood his clan's disdain for his weaving of magic that way. It was much easier to see the abomination for what it was when it harmed the wielder. With a final, body-wracking breath, he rose.

His lone eye cast around, trying to recall how the fires had started, why gore splattered everything like a carnal madhouse. His gaze slid over Sanina several times before he finally remembered, and then it settled on her with a final sort of resolve. Vampiric stain on the earth, and his vow to cleanse it.

He saw her hand outstretched, and instinct told him to take it. His fingers intertwined with her, the touch sickening intimate. Riaze knew not what had occurred, but trusted in what his subconscious told him. This close, he would strike, once and once only. When the moment was right, when her guard fell.

When the hunter never realized she was prey.

by Tiko on Wed May 30, 2012 9:32 amRiaze's hand in her own, Sanina drew him closer, her free hand reaching up to caress down the side of his face ever so gently as the crooning of her melody filled the room. Smoke and ash were beginning to choke the air, but for Sanina, such matters were of no consequence.

“There there...” she purred softly. At his back she could see the eyes of Scamp opening within the depths of the flames that were spreading across the dining room table. The hellcat coiled it's muscles, silent as it readied to attack.

The front door of the Manor banged open and a man's voice was calling loudly.

“Sanina? Varia?”

Sanina put it all from her mind as she tried to use her hand upon Riaze's face to guide his eyes to hers where she could solidify the hypnotic state she was trying to lull him into.

by Cryovizard on Wed May 30, 2012 9:41 amA tug on his mind drew his eye to her's. Riaze looked into that eye and ice grabbed his heart. Hypnosis. A split second to react before he was trapped, he did the only thing he could. Shadows burst from his free hand, blasting straight towards Sanina's chest, the tip spearing even as the hilt of Abyss solidified in his hand. A moment's remorse for her, for death by his sword was a curse. Even a vampire did not deserve having its essence pulled within the blade, to feed the spirits that gave it power.

Riaze closed his eye, so sure of what was about to happen, his lips moving without sound. Even for him, killing her with the sword was cruel.

"Forgive me."

by Tiko on Thu May 31, 2012 9:45 amSanina felt it before she saw it, her eyes widening in shock. Everything happened so quickly that it was a blur of action, the sword piercing her chest, Scamp erupting from the flames towards Riaze's exposed back, Viktor reaching the room as he shouted her name.

It was all so fast that it was difficult to say in what order things happened in, but for Sanina it slowed down to a crawl. It was surreal, viewing her death in such an abstract manner, to realize the piercing scream in her ears was her own. Then the moment was past and the noise, the chaos of the unfolding scene rushed back in, as did the agony of her essence being rend and torn asunder. Black shadows engulfed her before they were swiftly soaked up by the fell blade. Nothing remained of Sanina.

Anger and something almost akin to regret touched on Viktor's eyes before it was gone. He was a hard man, and even Sanina's death at Riaze's hand did little to change that. Leaving Riaze to Scamp, Viktor made his way past the flames which were licking their way up the walls now. Once through, he made for the upstairs in search of Varia, drawn by the gunfire echoing through the manor and the screams that filled the night. He spared the dead body of Kyle only a passing glance as a grimness settled over him.

by Cryovizard on Thu May 31, 2012 10:07 amA moment's death felt like a small eternity. Abyss devoured Sanina, absorbing her within. Where she would be consumed by the vampire spirit. Riaze felt sick, for death by his sword was cruel. He closed his eyes for a moment of silence, when the sound of claws catching as they launched its owner struck his ears.

Riaze threw himself back and down, skidding on the floor and stabbing upwards with the black blade. He saw a blur of fire and hellcat flash by over him, but still shaking off the deathblow he couldn't be sure he'd struck anything. Rolling to his feet, he seized the hilt with his free hand, bringing it into a diagonal guard in front of him, point angled down and to the right a few paces ahead of him. He bared fangs at Scamp, infuriated that he would be so interrupted.

The lycan bellowed a challenge in rage. "Come then, you fucking cat. I'll chop you to fucking pieces!"

by Tiko on Thu May 31, 2012 10:23 amRiaze's sword sliced deep as Scamp flashed overhead. Missing his mark, the hellcat struck the wall, coiled his muscles and leaped back to the floor where he began to pace back and forth before Riaze. The rend in his ribs was spouting flickers of flame, but the beast seemed impervious to pain.

A low keening wail was issued forth from Scamp's maw as the feline moved to and fro, looking for all the world like an oversized cat, its tail lashing the air angrily as it watched for an opening with which to attack through.

The moment would come in the form of a potential distraction. The flames that were working their way up the ceiling had begun to burn through the electrical wires and support beams. With a spray of sparks the chandelier overhead fell free to crash down upon the dining room table in a shower of broken glass. Feigning to the left, Scamp swiftly leaped back to the right, barreling straight for Riaze's chest.

by Cryovizard on Thu May 31, 2012 8:04 pmNo such luck for Scamp. Riaze was outraged, his moment of remembrance defiled by the violence the hellcat had wrought. He lowered his sword only a fraction, his eye on the damage but his focus on the feline. His reaction to the cat's move was an even more elegant feint, stumbling back while Abyss swung high above him, out of guard...

The moment Scamp drew within five paces, the lycan banished his blade and seized the shadows falling away, forming a sword of darkness. Clamping both hands on the hilt he brought the dark sword down and flung every shadow that would answer his call into the stroke, concentrating everything he had on the edge. Lycan strength and more, born of fury and hatred, all directed towards the one thing close enough to be the unfortunate target, Scamp.

Riaze hadn't lied. He planned to cut the bastard in half.

by Tiko on Thu May 31, 2012 8:20 pmAs the blade struck its target, the keening wail of the hellcat could be likened to the shriek of a banshee. Hellfire spilled forth from the deep rend in a geyser of flame as the beast simply burned away. By the time the sword had cleaved its deadly path, nothing remained but the acrid stench of sulfur and a scattering of embers across the floor at Riaze's feet.

Meanwhile, the shouts and gunfire from upstairs had fallen silent. The creak of the wood overhead gave warning to the weakening support beams as the heat and flames continued its destructive path.

by Cryovizard on Thu May 31, 2012 8:28 pmRiaze wasted no time on disbelief that it was so suddenly over, for he was not a stupid lycan. This burning building was about to come down over his head, and it was time to get the hell out. Veering on the run, urgency lent wings to his legs, as he sailed upstairs with long bounds. He searched frantically with his eyes, ears, and what little he could smell. Hurtling along the burning manor with two goals. Find Maria, and get out.

Nothing else mattered. Even if something still lived in the house other than them, they were in the same predicament. Leave, or die in debris and fire.

by Tiko on Thu May 31, 2012 8:42 pmIt didn't take him long to find the target of his search. There at the top of the stairs stood Maria. Blood spattered her form, both hers and those of her victims, and there was a wildness to her as the flames from below flickered in her silver irises. It was in moments like these that it was clear just how loose of a grasp the woman had on the remaining shreds of her humanity. There was no remorse, no regret, no sympathy in her.

“Óttalauss.”

The single word was spoken boldly, though her nostrils flared at the stench of smoke and sulfur making its way up from downstairs. Growling lowly, the sound that came from her throat did not belong from that of a human woman.

by Cryovizard on Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:39 amBarely slowing his pace, Riaze leapt for Maria, eyes not on her but the window behind her. Midleap he sembled, spreading his arms in a tackle that he planned to grab the woman and carry her along with him back and out. Succeeding in this, he'd semble again and tuck himself around her, for the impact waiting them below was not going to be kind.

Human he could survive the jump, though it would take some time to heal with all the other injuries this night. Wolf, a few bruises, deep ones for sure. Better than broken bones.

Riaze was going to have words with Maria for this. Even if it took him half the night, he was going to have words. Abyss, what a goddamned mess. Maria, you got some serious explaining to do, neglecting to mention all the shit about these fucking leeches.

by Tiko on Sun Jun 03, 2012 9:12 amEven with Riaze to adsorb most of the fall, the impact with the ground was jarring for Maria. Tumbling free of his grasp they both rolled across the ground to a stop. Taking but a moment to orient herself, Maria rolled over and rose up into a guarded crouch, bits of broken glass falling free of her hair and clothes. Her expression was unreadable as she stared at Riaze behind her wolfish eyes.

“Hvers vegna?” she demanded.

In the distance the sounds of sirens could be heard drawing closer. The gunfire and the burning manor had drawn the attention of the local authorities and soon the place would be crawling with humans.

by Cryovizard on Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:16 amThe shock of impact jarred his veered body, stunning him for a moment. Through faint stars Riaze watched the side of the manor they'd just left come crashing down in fire and debris. A shiver went through his lupine body, and then he sembled. Looking down at himself, he cursed, simply ripping the tattered shreds of his shirt away and flinging them into the fire.

Glaring at Maria as she snarled at him, he tilted his head pointedly at the burning ruins, raising an eyebrow. Like you wanted to be in there when it did that? The lycan snorted at his own thought, sobering as the sound of sirens finally seeped into his consciousness. Muttering an oath under his breath, he swept his eye around. Looking towards the back of the property, he started loping towards it, glancing back at the lycaness and beckoning her away.

"Time to go. Unless you want to end up in another cage?"

by Tiko on Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:32 amMaria spared a glance back at the burning manner before she followed reluctantly after Riaze. There were more vampires that yet lived, always more, but the sounds of the approaching sirens was loud and blaring; it had her uneasy, as did Riaze's words.

The property seemed to spill into the outskirts of the city, leaving one to make their way east or west back into the city, or north into dark woods that bordered the city. The stench of decay was on the night air though, wafting in from the woods to the north. No sounds of life permeated its dense foliage, only death lay beyond. The pair skirted the location though as they made their way east and back into the city.

Maria couldn't help but spare a look back at the woodland border they had left behind though. She did not understand cities, the noise, the people. The woods were what she knew. But even she was loath to tread within those unhallowed grounds and so she trailed after Riaze, trusting in him to know his way where she did not.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

The Lessard manor was aflame, the flickering orange glow blazoning in the night. The stench of ash and sulfur was thick on the air and the once magnificent splendor was rapidly succumbing to the consuming fire. In the distance the sounds of sirens could be heard making their way through the city. The gunfire and burning building had draw the attention of the local authorities. It had also drawn the attention of the inhabitants of the manors, those that weren't caught in the fire itself.

Out front stood Viktor with Varia in his arms. The woman was motionless, her body rend and torn with the deep gashes of claw marks. Laying her down upon the flagstones, Viktor made to approach the building again, but with a crash a support beam snapped and crashed down to bar the doorway. The heat of the flames was too much even for a vampire to brave. Shielding his face, he caught sight of Kyle's form still sprawled at the base of the stairs with a bloody gaping wound in his chest before the flames overtook him.

The sirens were growing closer all the while, and with a grim resignation he turned away to return to Varia. Hoisting her back up into his arms, he started his way towards the front gates.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

“Kyle's dead,” Viktor replied grimly. He was a hard man, and his eyes betrayed none of what lay beneath his next words. “So is Sanina.” Such simple words spoken, but their weight would shake the family to its core. “Werewolves, there were two of them.”

Characters Present

OOC Notes

Viktor simply turned and walked away, the flashing of lights could be seen through the trees and the place would be crawling with authorities soon. Viktor had always been a bit of an enigma to the family, always lurking on the fringes, rarely speaking to anyone. His place in the family had remained a mystery even to Vincent and Parson, and it seemed with Sanina's death the mystery would fade into obscurity, along with Viktor. He didn't spare even a look back as he left with Varia.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

Vincent and Christian's brief return to the manor had proven unfruitful. The destructive fires had destroyed much of the manor and any possessions it had contained. With Bri and the human children still missing, the pair had turned their attentions to the defected member of the family. Unlike most of the Lessard line, Viktor had maintained his own place of residence apart from the family. It wasn't the sprawling piece of elegance that the manor had been, but the townhouse was in a higher class region of the city and spoke of his ties to the wealthy Lessard family. As Vincent and Christian arrived at the front door the sounds of shouting could be heard.

“No, you listen to me. That bitch killed Kyle. She gutted him like a fucking animal, and fuck you if you think I'm going to sit around here and not do anything about it,” Varia's voice rang out vehemently.

Grabbing her leather jacket up, Varia jerked the front door open in time to come face to face with Vincent and Christian. Sparing them little more than a scowl, Varia brushed past them without a look back.

“Uh, I'll-” Christian began as he pointed after Varia. Without waiting for an answer from Vincent he turned and headed off after her at a jog to catch up.

Meanwhile, as the interior of the townhouse came into view for Vincent, it held an almost obsessive spotlessness to it. Even the white carpet had no sign of stain or discoloration to it. There wasn't a lot in the way of possessions, but what few there were seemed almost artistic in nature. The only thing that marred the perfection of the room was the glass coffee table that lay in disarray, an antique end table having been smashed through it. Bits of broken glass were scattered across the carpet.

Picking a longsword up from the broken glass, Viktor returned the weapon to its display stand on a nearby shelf.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

“I intend to leave the city. ” Viktor replied. “Take this as a termination of our arrangement, but my expenses are paid up until the end of next month. My services to your family will continue until then.”

Characters Present

OOC Notes

It wasn't long before another figure entered the room, a vaguely familiar one to Kaitlynn. His hands were shoved into his coat pockets, as he strode through the doorway. His eyes locating her swiftly upon entry and his footsteps carried him towards her table. Had he been following her? Probably.

They had never spoken, though Viktor had often not spoken with many of the Lessard family, preferring to remain on the fringes. Not many had really understood his part in the family, or his relation to Sanina, but they had for the most part accepted his presence.

With Sanina's passing, Viktor had faded from the scene for months without sight or word as to his movements, that is until this evening.

As he stopped at Kaitlynn's table, he nodded to a vacant chair across from her.

"May I?" he asked.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

Viktor took the vacant seat, keeping a watchful eye on the rest of the room as he sat. He had seen the edicts around the city, had heard of the fights and the rising death toll. Sanina's failing had always been her arrogance, her belief that she was beyond reach, beyond reproach. Viktor knew caution though, and this was not a good time for a lone vampire to be wandering the city. Caution should not be mistaken for fear though, and he seemed at ease in the surroundings.

"This city isn't safe for you any longer," Viktor began simply.

Characters Present

OOC Notes

"You are the last living heir to the family," Viktor reminded her firmly. "You may not have wanted it, nor acknowledged it, but your sister protected you. She's gone now and her enemies will be your enemies in time. You have seen these edicts for yourself. Your innocence in these matters will not outweigh the blood you two shared."

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